[A photo showing commercial sex workers in the streets of Nairobi. Activists in Kisii county have raised an alarm over an alleged increase in under girls in the business. Photo/Hivisasa.com]
A section of women leaders in Kisii have raised a red flag over the rise of under-age prostitution in the County
Gender activist Ms Mary Obara said the soaring number of young girls pouring into the streets of Kisii town each night to peddle flesh had reached disheartening levels.She called for urgent measures to be taken to stem the vice.
Ms Obara said dozens of girls as young as nine years have joined the business.“More than 600 women take part in the trade each night and the irony of this is that a third of them are young women barely into their adolescence,” said Ms Obara.
She asked the County to foster synergy with the National Government in coming up with strategies aimed at ending the trade.
More than 5,976 people, among them over 1000 children get annually infected by the virus according to the 2014 county profile estimates.
The County now requires more than Sh2 billion each year to help in combating the disease.Currently, only a paltry Sh 2million get set aside per year to help in the fight against the epidemic.On Wedneday, Ms Obara said the fight against under-age prostitution in Kisii town is compounded by a substantial lack of a coherent strategy.
Amani National Congress National Deputy Secretary Ms Esnas Nyaramba raised concern that HIV infections at the County were climbing fast and at unchecked levels.
She said the ranking putting Kisii County at position 42 only indicts the health sector’s commitment in mitigating the situation.